1. Poem : Sympathy Class : 9th Subject : English
Govt. High School Gandhi Nagar, Patiala
Poem : Sympathy
Class : 9th
Subject : English
Name of Students:
Sukhwinder, Lakhwinder, Kuldeep, Malkeet, Om Parkash, Harpreet, Davinder, Pardeep, Mandeep, Joti

2. POET : Charles Mackay
Charles Mackay ( ) was a Scottish song-writer. An editor of The Illustrated London News, he published several volumes of verse. His poems were very popular with the reading public and many of these are set to music.

3. Contents Objectives Skills required Previous knowledge Testing
Gist of the poem
Model Reading
Recapitulation
Queries

4. Objectives
To enable the students feel the thought and imagination in the poem.
To enable the students to recite the poem rhythmically with proper stress and intonation.
To help them to understand the idea and message of the poem.

5. Skills Required
Students should have a basic knowledge of rhymes in their mother tongue.
Students should be able to read, write and understand simple sentences of English.

6. Previous Knowledge Testing
Answer the following questions.
Who helps us in trouble ?
What is greater than money ?

7. Model Reading
I lay in sorrow, deep distressed,
My grief a proud man heard;
His looks were cold, he gave me gold,
But not a Kindly word.

8. Model Reading My sorrow passed – I paid him back
The gold he gave to me ;
Then stood erect and spoke my thanks
And blessed his charity.

9. Model Reading I lay in want, and grief, and pain
A poor man passed my way,
He bound my head, he gave me bread,
He watched me night and day.

10. Model Reading How shall I pay him back again For all he did to me ?
Oh, gold is great, but greater far
Is heavenly sympathy.

11. Glossary The teacher will explain meaning of difficult words.
GLOSSARY MEANING
Sorrow : sadness
Proud : haughty
Erect : upright
Charity : kindness
Heavenly : belonging to heaven
Sympathy : feeling of compassion

12. Let Us Answer
How did the proud man help the poet when he was in trouble ?
What did he not give to the poet ?
Did the poet pay him back ?
How did the poor man help the poet ?
Write in your own words the message the poem conveys.

13. Bibliography
English Main Course Book for class 9th published by Punjab School Education Board
Pictures from Internet

14. Thanks